Osaka requests cancellation of torch relay leg

FILE PHOTO: Torchbearer Junko Ito hands the torch to the next torchbearer Yoshikazu Nishikata during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay on the second day of the relay in Fukushima, Japan March 26, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Authorities in Japan's Osaka, who have repeatedly said they want to cancel one leg of the Olympic torch relay, formally requested that the route through the western city be cancelled, a Tokyo 2020 organising spokesperson said on Monday.

The relay, due to reach Osaka in mid-April, is seen as the first major test of Games organisers' abilities to hold a large event under strict coronavirus curbs. It features 10,000 runners carrying the torch through all Japan's 47 prefectures.